Hand-truck



` (No Model.)

J. ASH.

lHAND TRUCK.

Patented May 31,1887.

/J/ I I I J J E y Iva/enz??? Three-L.

PATENT JAMES ASH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HAND-TRUCK. n

v SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,940, dated May 31, 1887.

i Application tiled March 15, 1887. Serial No. 230,957. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, J AMES ASH, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Trucks, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of said truck as apzo plied to ordinary uses, the front attachment thereto being folded under, while the rear attachment is separated therefrom. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of said truck, representing my improved attachments connected therewith for special uses. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view upon a line drawn through the axesof the truck-wheels. Fig. 4 is a side view in detail of one of the truckwheels and the casting to which the truckframe is attached, and Fig. 5 shows a modified construction of the handles.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the different figures.

The object of my invention is to provide adj ustable handles for hand-trucks, which may be so arranged and constructed as to be compactly folded or wholly detached when the truck is applied to ordinary uses, and unfolded or attached thereto when it is desired to temporarily employ the truck as a frame for car- .-io frame.

rying the loads which may be placed thereon up or down stairs or over places where it-is iinpracticable to wheel the same, thus obviating the necessity of removing the load from the truck. I accomplish said object substantially inthe manner hereinafter more particu- 5o threaded bolts D D, of sufficient length to extend through the bars A A into the respective ends of a cross-bar, E, preferably of gas-pipe,

which `serves as a rest for the foot of the operator in loading and unloading said truck. The

bolts D are preferably provided with heads,

and are allowed to project outwardly upon the respective sides of the truck, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, for the purposes hereinafter stated.

In Figs. 1 and 2, F F are bars which are rigidly connected with each other by means of 6o over the bolts D D, so that when the handles are elevated the lower cross-bar f is brought j into contact with and bears against the bar C, as shown in Fig. 2.

Loosely attached to thebars A A, preferably l upon the outside thereof, by means of bolts g g, are handles G G, which are arranged to fold against the sides of the truck-frame when not in use, as shown in Fig. l. Said handles are provided upon the shorter ends with bent iron plates dg', which, when the handles are unfolded, bear upon plat-es c a, which are rigidly bolted to the frame. Said frame 'is also provided with cross-bars a' at, the former of which projects outwardly at the ends sufficiently to form a secondary bearing or fulcrum for the handles G. Thus it will be seen that when the supplemental handles are extended horizon-- tally ia front and' rear the frame of the truck is in a position obliquethereto. When so extended, workinen'may grasp said supplemental handles and easily carry the truck with its load up one or more flights of stairs, when therear handles may be removed and the others folded in place, and the load wheeled to any desired point.A

Said device is especially useful in the moving of stoves and other heavy articles, in that it constitutes a convenient carrying-frame as Well as a'truck. I prefer 'to place raised iron straps H H upon the respective sides of the frame, in orderto permit the shorter ends, g', of the handles G from being brought into contact with the load, and thus being prevented from folding or unfolding.

While I prefer to attach the handles G G t the frame and arrange them to fold substantially as described, it is obvious that they may IOO y 5 of ahand-truek, ofsupplemental handles at its front and rear ends, respectively, said supplemental handles being arranged in planes substantially parallel t0 each other and oblique to the plane of the main frame, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the main frameA of a handftruck, of the handles G G and F F and means for maintaining the same when iu use in parallel planes which are oblique to the plane of the frame A, substantially as and for 25 the purposes specilied.

JAMES ASH.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, DAvrD STEVENS. 

